Shutter-fastener



(No Model.)

H. A. STREETER.

SHUTTER PASTBNER.

Patented Oct. 18, 1887.

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UNITED STATES HERBERT A.. STREETER,

PATENT QEEICE.

OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

sHUTTER-FASTENER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 371,637, dated October 18, 1887.

Application inea Ntvember'so.1sss. serial No. 220,238. (No muriel.)

To aZZ whom it may concern,.-

Be it known that I, HERBERT A. STREETER, a citizen of the United States, residing in Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Blind or Shutter Fasteners, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to blind or shutter fasteners, and more particularly to devices for opening and closing and holding opened or closed the heavy sheet-metal hinged blinds with which buildings in cities are usually provided as a protection against fire, &c.

Heretofore great difficulty has been experienced in opening, closing, and holding these heavy sheet-metal blinds or shutters, especially 'when there is much wind, and frequently severe injury-such as loss of fingers-has been occasioned to the janitor or operator by the violent slamming of the blinds when they escape his control; and very frequently,also,the window-lights are broken by the concussion of the air when the blinds or shutters slam.

It is the object of my invention to provide a simple, efficient, and perfectly secure means of opening, closing, and holding opened or closed such heavy sheet-metal blinds, and by which the blinds may be easily operated without danger, and by which violent slammingis at all times prevented.

My invention consists in the novel devices and novel combinations of devices herein lshown and described, and more particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, and in which similar letters of reference indicate like parts, Figure 1 is a plan View of a device embodying my invention, the blinds or shutters being shown in horizontal section and open. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the blinds closed, and also showing in the dotted lines the position of the hinged bars before they are turned up out of the way. Fig. 3 is a side elevation. Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. l, showing the hinged bars turned or rocked on their own axes into position for folding inward through the open window and partially folded. Fig. 5 is an end view showing the staple by which the bar is pivotally connected to the bli-nds in such manner that the bar may be rocked or turned axially. Figs. 6 and 7 are enlarged views of the hinge orjoint.

In said drawings, A represents the walls of the building, A the window, and a a the window-casing.

B B are the sheet-metal blinds or shutters, hinged in the usual manner at b b tothe building. Each of these blinds is furnished on its inner side (its outer side when open) with a vertically-extending staple or eye, C, having a screwthreaded shank, c, which extends through the blind and is secured by a nut, c. This shank is also furnished withashoulder, c2, and washer c3 to prevent its being drawn through the blind. The upper limb, c, of the staple is secured to the blind by the rivet or rivets ci. The hinged bar D D Dl is composed of three pieces or sections, the two end sections, D D, being provided with eyes dd attheir outer ends, by which they are pivotally connected with the staples C C on the blinds B B, the staples C C also permitting the bar D D D'to rock or turn inward on its own axis, as is clearly shown in Figs. 4 and 5. The middle bar, D', is provided at each end with a pair of side plates, E

E, rigidly secured by rivets ce to said bar D.

The two end bars, DD, fit between these side plates, E E, at each end of the bar D', and are pivoted or hinged to said side plates by pivots or bolts e e', one through each pair of side plates. The adjoining ends of the bars D D are cut or provided with overlapping ends d di, preferably diagonal cut ends, as shown in the drawings, so that the bars D D D when extended or straightened out will be stiff and rigid and cannot pass each other. The ends d d of the bar Dl lap or t under the ends d2 d2 of the bars D D. The ends d di, instead of being cut diagonally, as shown, may be halved or notched or overlap eachother on other than a diagonal line. The bars D D D' are preferably made of about three-fourths inch square iron bar, and when the same is Cut into lengths it may be severed on a diagonal line, and thus at the same time form the overlapping or diagonal cut ends d di.

` By employing detachable side plates, E E, secured to the bar D by rivets or bolts ee, the folding or hinged bars may be very cheaply manufactured, as the cut end d of the bar D is not'disturbed or distorted out of shape, and

IOO

no special fitting, milling, or planing is required to produce thejoint.

In operation, to close the blinds or shutters,

the inwardly-rotatable bar D D D is first.

turned or rocked inward on its axis from the position shown in Fig. 1 into the position shown in Fig. 4, thus turning the pivots or hinges e' e' from their horizontal into an approximately vertical plane. then pulls directly inward on the middle bar, D', the end bars, D D, serving as levers to swing the blinds on their hinges. As the blinds close, the bars D DD fold. or turn on their pivots e' e', and when the blinds are closed the bars D D D assume the position shown in the dotted lines in Fig. 2. Y The bars D D D' are then raised Vor swung intov a vertical position into the space between the window A and the closed blinds B B, and the bars D D D are then finally tilted to one side, so that one end or corner of the folded bars will rest against the shoulder or offset formed by the wall A and window-casing a, and thus support the bars in their upright and folded p osition. v

I o open the shutters, the operation is simply reversed. The bars D D D are first swung sidewise ,to disengage them from the windowcasing a, and they are then swung down-through the opened window, when the operator, by pushing outward on the bars, forces the blinds wide open. After the blinds are opened wide, the bar is rotated outward until its pivots or hinges are in a horizontal position, so that the weight of the bar D D D' will hold it rigidly extended. 4

It will be observed that the staples C C are of such form and combined with the bar DDD in such manner that said bar cannot rotate outward from its position, as shown in Fig. 1, but only inward about one-fourth of a turn. The bar D D D also, it should be observed, is so swung from the staples C C that it occupies its lowest possible position when turned into the position shown in Fig. 1, or in the full lines in Fig. 5, so that the barbas no tendency to turn or rotate inward, such inward rotation requiring the bar to swing yor move bodily up-V ward on the staples C G. The bars D. D D' will thus of themselves remain in the straight and rigid position shown in Fig.1 and securely hold the blinds wide open without any special locking or fastening devices.

I am' aware that heretofore hinged or folding bars have been pivotally connected to, blinds at their ends, as shown and described, for example, in Letters Patent No. 70,726, granted to G. Lightfoot, November 12, 186.7;` but in such prior devices the hinged bars have been pivoted directly together, thusl requiring expensive special fitting and forging to, form the joint, and not by means of separate detachable side plates, E E, and the hinged bars` have not been pivoted. to' the blinds insueh way that theywere rotatable inward, so that the bars must be folded directly upward,

The operator 'iresv thus rendering them very inconvenient of operation, especially upon heavy sheet-metal blinds. v A

It should also be observed that in my invention three folding bars. D, D, and D', are

to swing sidewise after they are raised, and

thus engage the window-casing or other equivalent shoulder to support the bars in their vertical position when the blinds or shutters are closed. y Y

'Ihe curved form of the staples C G, which tit in the eyes d d of the bars D D, enables said bars to rotate axially upward, and thus turn the pivots e'e' inward, so that the bars D DD' can fold directly inward through the open window, as illustrated in dotted lines in Fig. 2. The Straight shank 0 at the lower linph ofthe staple extends directly through libe, s metal blind, and thus, enables. the rota .e folding bars D D D toY Swing downilat ..-t the face of the blinds, as indicated in Figg, and assume a stable position with the pivots e' e' of their hinges or joints in a horinontal' plane. e I hereby disclaim as not 0f my invention the combination, broadly, of the blinds and the folding fastener-bars hinged together and furnished with meansfor rendering their joints stiff or rigid when extended for holding the blinds open, and also the same in combination with the window-casing for resting the folded bars against when the blinds are closed.

I claim-` 1. The combination of hinged blinds B with staples C C, secured upon the inside of v said blinds, end bars,.D D, having eyes@ d, through which said staples are inserted, saidl "bars D D being axially rotatable upon said staples, middle bar, D', side plates, E E E E, secured by rivets e to said bar D at its ends,v and pivots e' e', connecting said side plates and said bars D D, said bars D D D having diagonally cut overlapping ends to render their joints rigid when said bars are rotated to bring their pivots into a horizontal plane, substantially as specified.

2.` The combination of hinged blinds B B l with folding or jointed fastener-bars D D D',

pivotally secured at their ends to said blinds upon the inside thereof, and separate or de- 1 tachable side plates,'E E E E, said side plates fbeing riveted or bolted at one end and pivotally connected at the other to said barsf D,

D, and D', and said bars D D D' having diag;Y

onally-cut overlapping ends, substantially as specified.

'3. The combination of hinged sheet-metal blinds B, B with folded or jointed axially-ro.;

tatable fastener-bars D D D', having overf lapping ends to render their hinges or joints rigid when the three barsv are extended to hold the blinds open and rotated, axially t0. brins the pivots, 0f such joints into a horizontalplane, the two bars D D having eyes,`

d. d atl their endsand vertically-extending employed, whereby the bars D D are enabled IOO staples C C inserted through said eyes, and provided at their lower limbs with threaded Shanks c, nuts o', shoulders c2, and Washers c3, for securing such staples to said sheetmetal blinds, so that when said bars D D D are extended straight for holding the blinds open and rotated axially upon said staples to bring the pivots of said bars into a horizontal plane, or their joints uppermost, said bars will occupy their lowest and stable posi- 1o tion upon said staples C C and fit at against the blinds B B, substantially as specified.

HERBERT A. STREETER. Witnesses: A

EDMUND ADcooK, H. M. MUNDAY. 

